Tag: france

The 6th edition of the Rhum Fest Paris will be held in the Grande Halle at the Parc Floral in Vincennes in a 2,800 m2 exhibition space on 13-15th April. With more than 180 brands and nearly 60 countries represented, it has established itself as a vibrant market place with the aim of becoming the leading European rum show.

Rhum Fest Paris: THE major European rum market place

The show doubles its size into a bright and airy environment, for visitors to taste and communicate with rum experts.

This space creates more scope for fresh activities and new formats for stands and offers brands the opportunity to present immersive, personalized spaces. Finding your way around the show is made easy with a hall that is entirely geared to welcoming visitors, exhibitors and journalists, including:

Bigger than ever before, and also taking things to another level, Rhum Fest Paris aims to be at the heart of the rum culture and its market in Europe. Thanks to the market place set up on the site, Rhum Fest Paris helps producers, distributors and importers to establish contact and initiate business.

Not to mention the classic features of Rhum Fest Paris:
– The masterclass marquee
– The entertainment tents with, among other things, an intriguing escape-room game with a rum theme
– Dedicated enclosures so brands can flex all their immersive creativity:
– The novelty bar – All things new and adventurous
– Calypso cocktail bar
– The pop-up Christian de Montaguère boutique – A fantasy of rum and Caribbean delights

In short, Rhum Fest Paris is still a serious rum festival but with even more to appeal to professional visitors and consumer rum fans.

Dates and times

Public days
Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April 2019
From 12 noon to 6:30pm

Trade day for professionals in the drinks business
Monday 15 April 2019
From 10am to 5pm

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Noilly Prat, the world-renowned vermouth crafted by the sea, made its first foray into prestigious trade show, Bar Convent Berlin this year. To showcase its proximity to the sea, overlooking miles of oyster tables, and the importance it has on its unique production process, Noilly Prat brought the South of France to the urban surroundings of Germany’s capital. From Noilly Prat deck chairs to fresh lemon trees, guests were transported to the home of this fine French vermouth nestled in the pretty fishing village of Marseillan. Led by Coupette’s Chris Moore, Noilly Prat served over 3,800 industry friends at its debut this week.

A TASTE OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

With its central location in the courtyard entrance to the show, along with sunny 22-degree weather, the Noilly Prat team shucked over 1,000 fresh oysters that were enjoyed with chilled Noilly Prat Original Dry poured over the oyster, which was then either sipped from the shell or devoured in one. Over 2,800 aperitifs were served, including L’Apéritif, Noilly Prat Original Dry over ice with a twist of lemon, Chris Moore’s Maison Highball, featuring Noilly Prat Original dry, green chartreuse, spruce shoot syrup and celery bitters topped with tonic and served with a slim celery twist and Noilly Prat Original Dry served with Perrier and frozen grapes – inspired by Dante’s ‘Vermouth Service’.

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The final of the 2018 Gabriel Boudier Wizard competition has been won by Maria Vieira, of East London Liquor Company

The second national Gabriel Boudier Wizard final was held in Vertigo cocktail bar in Dijon, France on Monday 15th January. The top four finalists were each selected from the regional heats held throughout the UK in 2017.

The competition was setup in 2015 by spirits importers, Emporia Brands. The Gabriel Boudier Wizard competition challenges bartenders to come up with an original liqueur or crème that is not already commercially available. The winning recipe will be put into production by Gabriel Boudier and released internationally later in the year.

Established in 1874, Gabriel Boudier is the only independent producer of liqueurs in Dijon still in family ownership. Their award-winning range is based on fresh ingredients, without the use of artificial flavours, and this philosophy was part of the brief to contestants.

Finalists were judged not only on their liqueur but also on their marketing plan to launch, along with a demonstration of how the liqueur could be used both in a simple serve and in a signature serve.

The finalists were judged by Samuel Boulton, winner of the 2016 Gabriel Boudier Wizard Award and Yves Battault, General Manager of Gabriel Boudier.

Maria impressed the judges with a polished presentation, demonstrating a good technical understanding to produce her liqueur with the unique mustard flavour being perfectly balanced in both cocktail recipes.

Drawing her inspiration from the other well know product of Dijon, Maria’s recipe uses both black and brown mustard. Increasingly ‘foodie’ ingredients are finding their way into cocktails and this trend looks to continue in 2018.

Maria took home £1,000 on the night and will now work with Gabriel Boudier over the next six months to finalize the recipe of Mustard Liqueur that will be launched in the UK at Imbibe Live on the 2nd and 3rd July, stand B110.

The next Gabriel Boudier Wizard competition will run in 2019, to find an original liqueur or crème to launch in 2020.

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The Père Magloire National Calvados Week, in association with UK creator Emporia Brands, returns Monday 16th October 2016 until the Sunday 22nd October 2017, taking place within bars and retailers across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

For some, Normandy’s lush green pastures reach their ultimate expression in the region’s famed cheeses and rich dairy butter. We all know that it’s always been about the Calvados. The magical alchemy that transforms green apples into golden nectar, it produces apple brandy as soft, fresh and pure as the beguiling French countryside from which it’s born. The week long celebration marks the harvesting of the delicious apples for the production of Calvados. During National Calvados Week over 100 bars, shops, supermarkets and independent off licenses, including London based Swift, Merchant House, Baranis, German Gymnasium and Plotting Parlour.

Other venues and highlights for the week include such Edinburgh stalwarts as Panda & Sons, Heads & Tales, Voodoo Rooms, Bramble and The Bon Vivant, as well as Glasgow based The Finnieston, Porter & Rye and Drugstore Social. 45 West in Leicester are also showcasing their serves, as well as Jekyll & Hyde in Birmingham, Alvino’s in Newcastle and Last Chance Saloon in Nottingham amongst others.

Meanwhile, participating Waitrose stores will be running an in-store price promotion for the month of October, seeing Père Magloire VSOP 50cl with 20% off. Scotland are covered by Drinkmonger and Royal Mile Whiskies in Edinburgh, plus independent stores across England including Riddles Emporium in South Manchester, 23 Wine & Whisky in Leicester and Fenwick’s in Newcastle. We’ve also partnered with The Drink Shop, who are offering 20% off all Père Magloire products throughout National Calvados Week.

Highlights of the week involve the Telegraph Aperitifs and Digestifs evening that kicks off the celebration on Friday 13th October, TimeOut London are also hosting an evening of Père Magloire to launch the promotion within MASH London, exclusive for their members, and John Lewis on Oxford St and Soho Whisky Club, both in London, are also getting in on the action with their own tasting evenings.

In addition, Fever Tree, Franklins, Fentimans, Double Dutch and Peter Spanton No.1 Tonic are the principle sponsors for this year’s signature serve, promoted within all participating venues across the UK, the Père Magloire and tonic;

Using a large wine glass or a tall, slim glass, add the ice first then pour in the Père Magloire VS, followed by the Tonic Water. Cut a full slice of apple and drop into the glass.

A promotional video has also been commissioned by Emporia Brands, the exclusive UK importer of Père Magloire and National Calvados Week, which aims to see people coming together from across the UK to enjoy Calvados. To view the video, head to http://www.nationalcalvadosweek.com/press

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Grey Goose, the world’s best tasting vodka, will pay tribute to the man who many believe invented the Espresso Martini cocktail at Tales of the Cocktail festival by live-streaming events in New Orleans and London simultaneously

GREY GOOSE, the world’s best tasting vodka, will host a trans-Atlantic celebration of the life of legendary bartender, Dick Bradsell, with Swift bar in Soho, London and specially curated pop-up bar, Le Café de Nuit in New Orleans. Taking place on Thursday 20 July during Tales of the Cocktail, the world’s premier cocktail festival, the celebrations will focus on the Espresso Martini cocktail, a now worldwide classic which Bradsell reportedly invented, when a supermodel asked him to make her a cocktail

Dick Bradsell, the man who was nicknamed ‘The King of Cocktails’, sadly passed away last year. To celebrate his legacy, GREY GOOSE is inviting cocktail enthusiasts from both sides of the pond to raise an Espresso Martini cocktail to the man and join in the parties which will be live-streamed between the bars at 1pm-3pm in New Orleans and 7pm-9pm in London.

At Swift, the statement cocktail bar from the team behind award-winning Nightjar and Oriole, Bradsell’s daughter, Bea, will host the evening with all funds from the sales of the Espresso Martini cocktail going to The Benevolent, the drinks industry charity.

Joe McCanta, GREY GOOSE Global Brand Ambassador, said: “Dick Bradsell was an industry icon, who changed and revived the London cocktail scene; setting a new standard which all ambitious bartenders strive for. This celebration is simply a way for GREY GOOSE to remember the man behind the Espresso Martini cocktail, which has become one of the most iconic cocktails to date.”

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Sons of Armagnac is the new awareness campaign spearheaded by UK innovator Emporia Brands and its Armagnac partners Comte de Lauvia and Marquis de Montesquiou. Starting on June 12th and ending on 18th June (Fathers Day), many of the top bars and retailers across the country will be taking part in raising the profile of the Armagnac category with cocktail specials, menus, events, tastings and more.

Specially created Marquis de Montesquiou cocktails can be found across London, including Skylon, German Gymnasium, Looking Glass Cocktail Club and Hush, as well as Cottonopolis based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Manhattan in Liverpool, Nitehawks and Bonbar in Newcastle, Vice & Virtue in Leeds and Manhattan 34 in Leicester. Some of the UK’s premier dining arenas are also combining their expertise with Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnac by offering specials within Harborne Kitchen in Birmingham and the aforementioned Vice & Virtue in Leeds.

Comte de Lauvia has been the chosen brand to be highlighted within unique serves from venues such as Merchant House and The Light Lounge in London, to The Edgbaston in Birmingham and Petit Parlour in Liverpool. 155 Bar & Kitchen in London, World Service in Nottingham and Wygston House in Leicester have put together at a food pairing menu for the week to highlight the versatility of the Armagnac category.

Retailers from across the UK are also getting involved, including in-store promotions of Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnac within Riddles Emporium, South Manchester, 23 Wines & Whiskey in Leicester and Fenwick’s in Newcastle. Comte de Lauvia Armagnac will be highlighted across all Harvey Nichols stores, including in-store tastings, in the UK as well as Riddles Emporium.

Specialist online retailers are joining in, with 31 Dover offering £3 off a purchase of Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnac Fine, £4 off the Reserve expression, and £5 off the XO. The Drink Shop are running a week-long offer of 20% off both the Marquis de Montesquiou and Comte de Lauvia expressions, and finally Drinkfinder have put together 20% off the full Marquis de Montesquiou range until Father’s Day.

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Spirits innovator Emporia Brands is working in collaboration with its award-winning Distilleries et Domaines de Provence range to bring to the UK for the first time National Provence Cocktail Day.

Set to be this coming Friday 3rd June 2016, a number of bars and restaurants across the UK have joined the campaign to show off their cocktail creations using either the peach vermouth of Rinquinquin, the first legal absinthe since the ban of 1914 in Absente, and the thyme flavour of Farigoule, culminating in a hub of recipes to be featured upon www.provencecocktails.com.

No region of France is as incredibly blessed as Provence with the range of raw materials for original flavours to create wondrous liqueurs and vermouths. From orchards of peaches to hillsides of wormwood, Distilleries et Domaines de Provence have a glorious palette of flavours to work from, to create spirits, liqueurs and vermouths to inspire bartenders nationally.

National Provence Cocktail Day celebrates the innovation of such, showcasing the talent and creations from a wide variety of concepts, both on and off trade, across the UK.

Highlights across the UK include The Blackbird in Edinburgh showing off Provence Cocktails in the ‘Garden Shed’(Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June), whilst their Beer Garden will be taken over with an exclusive cocktail menu of 4 Provence delights.
Bistro Provence, also in Edinburgh, are running a week of Provence Cocktails, recommending their creations with food pairings, whilst The Tippling House in Aberdeen have produced five Provence Cocktails for the weekend.

In London, Gaucho Smithfields are launching a Provence Cocktail Day menu as part of their Aperitivo terrace, including the Rinquinquin based Peach Frappe.

The Midlands see’s the likes of The Edgbaston and 40st Pauls from Birmingham and Hockley Arts Club, World Social and Annies Burger Shack (all located in Nottingham) embracing Farigoule, Absente and Rinquinquin within their trademark cocktails, whilst the North East sees an in-store tasting at Fenwicks in Newcastle from 12-6pm and a Provence Cocktail Showcase on the 2nd June at BonBar with exclusive invites to local industry figures.

On the South Coast, the General Wine Company and their Liphook and Petersfield branches will be running Absente Absinthe tastings over the weekend, with the in-store tastings also running to Amathus Knightsbridge with a look at Rinquinquin.

The North of England will see El Gato Negro creating several Rinquinquin serves, whilst Cottonopolis have for you a specialised cocktail menu with Rinquinquin and Farigoule as well as food pairings. To continue the Manchester theme, Dusk Til Pawn have been utilising Farigoule for their Provence Cocktail specials, whilst it will also be the venue for a city-wide Provence Cocktail Day competition to show off the creativity of the city.

Speakeasy venue Riddles Bar in Altrincham are serving up Absente creations following the success of National Absinthe Day back in March, whilst Leeds and Backroom Bar have a Farigoule and Casco Viejo tequila creation on offer.

To cap off the Provence Cocktail Day activity, Pollen Street Social in London are joining forces with Emporia Brands and Distilleries et Domaines de Provence on the 5th June as part of Social Sunday 2016 For Hospitality Action.

A 5-course tasting menu prepared by Chef owner Jason Atherton, Sat Bains, Tom Kerridge and Claude Bosi is available, whilst across the street at Little Social, Greg Marchand from Frenchie, will be cooking his own tasting menu.

Also getting in on the food pairings are La Petite Mort in Edinburgh who are running a week long pop-up menu of four cocktails which will have recommended food pairings, culminating in a hosted 3 course dinner with paired Provence Cocktails on the 7th June.

For more information on Distilleries et Domaines de Provence and Emporia Brands, please visit www.emporiabrands.com

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I do love a good vodka. I’ve worked with several over the years, but I’m always on the look out for a vodka that takes the vodka category and shakes it like a mad man.

Sauvelle, I believe, had done just that.

It may be because I’m a sucker for marketing and creativity (it is after-all a huge part of Drinks Enthusiast), but when you see photo’s like the one below, it draws your intrigue.

The vodka itself? It describes itself for the ‘bon vivant’; a person who devotes themselves to a sociable and luxurious lifestyle. It’s origins lie in Cognac, France, its base is winter wheat, and the water supplied by the springs of Gensac. It’s unchill-filtered, it’s oaked smooth with Chêne du Limousin. It’s French craft.

But how does it fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes –

Sauvelle – 41%

Light, soft and smooth notes on the nose of wheat. It’s clean, with hint of cherry blossom. A thick viscosity on the palate, with good licks of honey, cherry and oaked vanilla. A slightly dry finish, but a creamy, long ending.

A great vodka to sip neat, but equally works works well within one of these –

Sauvelle & 17

Sauvelle & 17

Glass –

Wine

Ingredients –

50 ml Sauvelle
150 ml 1724 Tonic

Method –

Build the ingredients over an ice filled wine glass and garnish with a vanilla pod.

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On Saturday March 5th 2016 it’s National Absinthe Day, and to celebrate, Absente Absinthe of Distilleries et Domaine de Provence have put together some of the best venues across the UK to enjoy one of the original absinthes from France.

A special for National Absinthe Day, the Absente Absinthe boards at Riddles Bar in Altrincham, South Manchester, will be on offer for just £6, whilst NOLA Bar in London (the home of London’s Distilleries et Domaine de Provence ambassador Ian McIntyre) are whipping up arguably THE classic New Orleans cocktail of the Sazerac that sees Bulleit Rye or Hennessy Fine de Cognac stirred down with sugar and bitters and served in an Absente absinthe rinsed glass.

Speaking of London, Bar Boulud at The Mandarin Oriental have for you the The Deal Closer, which sees Beefeater gin, lavender syrup, Absente Absinthe and huckleberry jam come together, with Christopher’s Martini Bar also getting into the French spirit by offering you De La Louisienne. This sees Wild Turkey 81, Sweet Vermouth, Bénédictine, Peychaud bitters and a dash of Absente Absinthe enjoyed at any time of the day during National Absinthe Day.

Manchester also offers to you Pen and Pencil, who have to hand a twist on Hemmingway’s “Death in the Afternoon” that sees the 69% abv version Grande Absente Absinthe blended with cucumber, apple, lemon juice and sugar, with a fresh top of Champagne. Alberts Schloss are also on hand with Absente Absinthe as the Bavarian beer palace show off the traditional spirit, as are Cottonopolis, the home of Manchester’s Distilleries et Domaine de Provence ambassador Gethin Jones.

Absente Absinthe have preserved the traditional processes of producing artisan spirits, and following the ban of Absinthe in France in 1914, Absente was introduced in 1995 as the first legal absinthe, and at 55% abv, Absente offers a well-balanced profile with a delicate, fresh aroma and subtle flavours of anise, mint and spice.

“..John Darling of London Hilton’s Zeta Bar suggest his absinthe-based inspiration: for each glass, soak a sugar lump in cognac, add a shot (25ml) of Absente 55.., top up with Champagne and garnish with mint and half a lychee. Pure decadence”

Joanna Simon – The Sunday Times

For news and cocktail ideas, follow Absente Absinthe on Twitter @ProvCocktails or Facebook at www. facebook.com/ProvCocktailscom

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Monday 25th January saw the culmination of a yearlong campaign between the award-winning UK importer Emporia Brands and the Wizard’s of the liqueur market, Gabriel Boudier. Hosted within the superb Villa Messner in Dijon, the home of Gabriel Boudier since 1874.

The Gabriel Boudier Wizard Awards set out in 2015 to find a UK bartender worthy of the accolade, coming up with a unique flavoured liqueur in the hope of impressing the owners of Gabriel Boudier, the Battault family, and winning the chance to have their winning recipe put into full production.
Three UK finalists, each of which had earned their way to the final through the Boutique Bar Show regional heats held in London, Glasgow and Manchester, were awarded the chance; Joey Butcher of Bourbon and Black, Manchester, Samuel Boulton of Suds n Duds in Birmingham and Andrew Stewart of The Tippling House, Aberdeen.

Over the watchful eye of François Battault, Chairman of Gabriel Boudier and Jack Rackham, Commercial Director of Emporia Brands, it was to be Samuel Bolton’s night as his Kaffir Lime Leaf impressed alongside his simple signature serve of Kaffir Lime Leaf and Fentimans 1905 Tonic Water, and his understanding of the commercial aspects of the liqueur category.

Winning £1000 on the night too, he will be introducing to the market his Kaffir Lime Leaf liqueur, produced by the award-winning Gabriel Boudier, before the end of the year and is set to be available through all major retailers.